Anything Can Happen
by Grey's-Lover-56
Summary: Something happens to Meredith and Alex and they seem forgotten about in the chaos of a massive pile-up, until the staff get a massive shock. Merlex friendship, mentions of other ships - Merder, Calzona. May be some Addex in later chapters. Rated t for language
1. Anything Can Happen

**A/N Set around the start to mid season seven - after Arizona goes to Africa. Lucy doesn't exist. Cristina didn't get PTSD after the shooting.**

**Don't own anything!**

**Anything Can Happen**

He opened his eyes to Mer screaming his name. He couldn't understand why, and before he knew it he had closed his eyes and drifted off again.

** 15 Minutes Earlier**

'Alex, hurry up and get your ass down these stairs. Come. On.' Meredith called from the porch.

'Cristina said it's a massive multiple trauma' she tried again knowing these words might actually make a difference, and sure enough he was out the door in no time.

Meredith drove around the back way, after Cristina had informed her that the multiple trauma incident had been caused by a pile-up on the main road to Seattle Grace Mercy Death (as it was now known as by all the residents) from her own surgeon filled house.

So far the journey had been nothing special, and as per usual Alex had been moaning about Stark and how he needed Arizona, but she'd buggered off to Africa to go and save the poor, starving Tiny Humans. He secretly admired what she was doing, and was only really annoyed at her replacement who he'd have to be ruled by for at least another two years.

Alex was soon knocked out of his ranting state by the ringing of his phone. The screen read, Harper Avery's Grandson (just like Meredith's contact name was Ellis Grey's Daughter, they had teased the two a while back and the names still entertained Alex even though he had been meaning to change them back for a while). Jackson had wanted to know where the hell they were, with the pit being way too busy to

manage, they needed the two residents as soon as possible. Everyone else was already there and that still was nowhere near enough. Hunt had had every sober resident, intern and attending paged in (which unusually happened to include both Meredith and Alex).

By that time were only around five minutes away from the hospital, and other than the traffic caused by the pile-up the roads were suprisingly clear for a Friday evening. The small windy road they were on was vehicle free, human free even.

Apart from the couple of drunk men walking at the side of the road. And that particularly idiotic one. The particularly idiotic one who may not have been this idiotic had he just had one less vodka shot. The particularly idiotic one who decided it would be a good idea to step into the middle of the road. Meredith swerved to avoid him, successfully. She had been meaning to get the brakes checked for a while. She couldn't stop. The car wouldn't slow down. And before she knew it the car had flipped. Meanwhile, Alex had not noticed the drunk men, he was too busy wrapped up in thoughts of what interesting surgeries he may be scrubbing in on later that evening to even car about what was going on in the road. Since Jackson's phone call the car had been filled with the sound of thoughts.

People say that fate is written in the stars, and when anything unfortunate happens people claim that 'that's just the way the cookie crumbles'. But that night's cookie did not crumble it shattered even if it's impossible for a cookie to shatter.

'Where the hell are Grey and Karev?' Owen asked, already very annoyed at how late they were.

'They should be here any minute now' Jackson had replied calmly. He was always calm in these busy unmanageable situations, just as he had been during the shootings. That's what made him so good at his job.

'Well they better be or else...' Owen had rushed off towards a newly coding patient before he had had a chance to finish his sentence.

After the shooting everyone seemed to forget the merger even happened, now it was as if the six of them (April, Alex, Mer, Cristina, Lexie and himself) had known each other since the start of med school, especially as five out of the six of them lived together and Cristina came round so often that she basically lived with them anyway.

Each car crash is different. There's no definite injury pattern between occupants of the car. So many variables. So many possibilities, an infinite amount. Anything can happen.

**A/N Ok so what do you think of the first chapter? I'm already writing the second! It's my first ever fanfiction, so I hope its ok. Really open to ideas and thoughts on it so please review. And BTW I will give it an ending even if I decide to stop early. Little petty hate of mine is knowing some of my favourite fanfics out there are not finished... Not that I know what its like to be a fanfic writer seeing as this is my first. Anyway, little cliffhanger there. Sophie Emma xx**


	2. Drowning in the Past

**A/N Some extra info Meredith didn't miscarry. Only her Cristina and Derek know about McBaby. I still don't own anything.**

**Drowning in the Past**

Meredith opened her eyes, having shut them as she felt the car flipping. She could feel and move everything from the toes up. That was good, she told herself. Nothing was hugely painful, that was great. Under the circumstances. Somehow, just somehow she managed to pull herself out of the shattered window. She studied the wreck that was her car.

Something was missing.

Shit.

Alex.

Alex wasn't out or up or being Evil Spawn.

Shit.

He was still in the car. Her thoughts were all over the place, anything could have happened to him.

By this time she was alone, the drunks had run off, not even bothering to help. She was a nervous wreck and couldn't even stand up she was shaking so much. Crawling would have to do. Not that she had even realised she was doing it.

Karevs are strong.

Karevs are strong.

Karevs are strong.

The thought just replayed in her mind. Something Aaron had said before he got schizophrenia and tried to kill Amber. Meredith knew it was true. Karevs were strong. Especially Alex. But they were also a bit messed up. Especially Alex.

Her eyes widened at the sight. He was a mess. But he was alive. Because of the awkward position he had ended up in Meredith couldn't do anything to help, well except attempt to knock him out of uncounsciousness. She started shouting Alex's name at the top of her voice. The tears streamed down her face. And when Meredith had almost lost all hope.

She tried once more, this time the longer version 'Alexander Michael Karev'. Movement. 'Oh, God Alex! Alex!' Then nothing. Maybe she'd imagined it.

Her phone, she needed to call 911. Crap, Crap, Crap. Her pocket was empty. Where the hell was her phone? Meredith then knew exactly where it was, at home, on charge. Alex had his with him though. And almost by magic, the phone lit up and let out a small tune. Harper Avery's Grandson was calling.

Come on Alex pick up, you ignorant jackass. Hunt was heading towards him again.

'Avery, where are they?!' Owen had only just managed to resuscitate the last patient, and the lack of staff was costing lives. 'If they aren't here in the next thirty seconds I'll put them on scut for the next two months'

Jackson really wanted to see this. The call rang a few more times before going to voicemail. His pager went off. The whereabouts of his fellow residents was the least of his worries.

If only Meredith could have reached another couple of inches should could have just grabbed the phone but in doing so she knocked it further away. The only chance Alex had left of survival was gone.

She had to try to wake him once more.

He opened his eyes to Mer screaming his name. He couldn't understand why, and before he knew it he had closed his eyes and drifted off again.

And then it struck her. When she had drowned. Or stopped swimming. She thought she had no-one but actually she had everyone she needed, no matter what her shitty childhood had caused. And maybe Alex wasn't fighting anymore his whole life had been shitty, the first women he had ever known was now receiving her meds through the post from him, the first women he'd ever loved ended up in soemthing along the lines of a mental asylum, his ex-wife got cancer and left him, the girl he was trying to get it off with got shot just before he got shot and almost died and finally his brother had just attempted to kill his sister. No forgetting is abusive father amoungst all of this. All Alex had was his job and the people he worked with (including the many single nurses). And that in itself is a good enough reason to stop fighting. But perhaps what Alex didn't realise was that that was a good enough reason to fight because actually his job and colleagues outweighed everything else that had happened to him in the past. Perhaps he was drowning in the past.

Meredith had to tell him this and the best way she could do that was by simply resting her head on him. Whilst she held the stomach that she done so well to cover up under her clothes and scrubs, the stomach which contained a growing person, who she had forgotten about in the rush of what had happened. Assuring herself that her McBaby was fine. She waited.

**A/N So what's going to happen next I hear you ask. Well you'll just have to wait and see. Please review etc. Sophie Emma xx**


	3. Forgotten

**A/N I'm sorry, I have no real excuse other than just pure being busy (and sleep deprived). Ok it's a short one and I'm sorry if it's rubbish I just didn't have the flow, but chapter four will be better. But chapter four may have a little wait because next week everything is happening! I'll try my hardest.**

**Forgotten**

The ORs were in full swing, four ORs for five critical patients and at least three others requiring surgery just wasn't enough. Jackson and April had still not seen either Alex or Meredith assuming they had simply just kept missing one another or Alex had just scrubbed in on the latest paeds surgery. Owen had decided wasting his time trying to locate the missing residents wasn't worth his energy. Even Cristina was so high in cardio heaven being a god she hadn't had the time to think about her person since their last phone call.

Everyone had been too busy.

Everyone just assumed they were fine.

Everyone had forgotten about them.

She waited.

Meredith had always thought of Cristina as her person right from the start. But in the last few years Alex had had an equal right to that role, he was her brother. He was the brother that could be a total ass but however much of an ass he was he would be the brother that would kick anyone else's ass i fthey even thoughht of hurting you. Since he fell in love he had suddenly grown up and stopped just thinking about himself.

And it was then when Meredith realised that Alex really could die, and she would have killed one of the most important men in her life. She wasn't going to let that happen to her, especially after everything that she had already loved and lost.

You can only truly experience life if you have been to rock bottom, and resurfaced.

That's what Alex and Meredith had in common they had experienced life and lived to tell the tale but what Meredith knew was that behind the walls that Alex had spent so long building up there were still some ruins, he was still broken and he was still resurfacing. But that is what made him him. That is what had made him grow up. The fact that he didn't have a childhood made him want to make sure every other child did. And it would hit him soon that what had happened to him was crap, but it's what made him him. So he had to forget and leave it behind because what he was now was perfect enough. But the question was, was it even possible to forget about a scar so big?

"Aaron stay here"

"But he'll hurt you"

"I know, but do you want him to keep hurting Mum?"

"No, but he.."

"Listen to me, stay here and keep quiet"

Alex refused to let out any sound of pain. Aaron couldn't know that it hurt, that it really hurt. It hurt not just physically, mentally. And things weren't meant to hurt someone so young like that. That's why he had to protect Aaron because he wasn't broken. And he had to stay that way. That's why Aaron had turned out as Angel Spawn (despite his recent unangel-spawnness) and Alex just Alex.

Meredith's thoughts were rudely interrupted by an awful noise. A noise which was so screechy that it hurt. And then a light, so bright she could have sworn it burned. Shit. It was a car. A car braking. A car with people. A car stopping to help them. A car with a cell phone.

And that meant Alex would be ok. Hope was restored. For now, at least.

**A/N So there you go what will happen. Anyone else you want me to add in/suggestions I'm open to! Again I'm sorry. Sophie Emma xx**


	4. A Pain Like No Other

**A/N I'm sorry it's so late.**

**A Pain Like No Other**

Beep. Beep. "Pit - Incoming Trauma". Jackson and April simaultaneously looked down at their pagers, hopped up from the bed they were perched on and marched towards the ER.

Callie, Richard, Teddy and Derek were all already there being briefed about the incoming casualties by Owen. The ETA was unknown due to the fact that the passenger of the flipped car was still being cut out. The driver was mobile and refusing medical treatment, demanding to stay with the passenger. They were still unsure as to whether they would need a doctor at the scene, but Owen was preparing just in case. And that was all they had been told. The other surgeons had been dismissed and just told to watch their pagers with eagle eyes.

It had been at least half an hour since the briefing when the pagers went off. That meant the big case was finally arriving. The paramedics had managed without Owen which had been quite an achievement, all things considered. With the three minute ETA they waited in the ambulance bay.

The sirens came into earshot.

As loud as ever.

The vehicle ground to a halt.

The adrenaline followed through their veins.

They were ready and pumped.

The doors burst open.

The usual routine was about to begin.

And then the world froze.

And the silence screamed.

And everything went stiff.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" Everyone knew Meredith's distinctive voice, even more so when she was screaming. And with that the stunned scene became one of chaos and panic.

It was only when Alex had been in the trauma room for at least twenty minutes and neurologically stable that Derek instructed one of the interns to call Dr. Addison Montgomery of Oceanside Health & Wellness Group, having been questioned at least twice for his want of a neonatal surgeon when to put it plainly, Alex did not require such a specialism. Derek had to release the fact that his wife was pregnant to the whole trauma team - definately not how they had planned to tell everyone about their McBaby.

Meanwhile, Alex was alive, but barely. His respiratory system had been damaged, and the reasonably recent shooting was not going to help matters. Teddy had already put him on a ventilator after having to insert a chest tube into his right lung.

Jackson had been unfortunate to be selected as the one to go and inform Dr. Bailey who most definately wasn't going to take this lightly.

"What now Avery?"

"We need you in the pit."

"And, what is so important that you would barge right into my OR demanding my presence in the pit whilst my hands are busy at work on resecting this tumour so that this patient can live a happy, healthy lifestyle, especially when I know for a fact that the Chief is the on-call attending in the pit?"

Jackson hesitated and simply replied, "the Chief wants you."

She changed her attitude in an instant, something she was good at, "Tell him I'll be down when I finish, I'm almost done."

Jackson had to remain calm, "Dr. Turner is on his way to takeover, you need to come now."

"Will someone please just tell me what's going on!" The surgeon looked around her OR to see the many blank faces staring back at her. "Avery."

The part he had hoped to put off until they were somewhere a little less public, if that was even possible in a place like this. He stumbled his way through the answer, "It's a trauma, a...a big trauma a..a...and the patient"

"Who's the freaking patient Avery?"

"Alex"

She placed down her surgical equipment and stared into Jackson's eyes, "Just say that again?" Everyone knew this meant she had heard the answer perfectly well.

"It's Alex"

Her chin dropped, and even through the mask, you could see the pain. Her pain. A mother's pain. A pain so loud that it blocked out the sound of the patient on her table dying. A pain so big that every single muscle ceased. A pain so numbing that she couldn't feel Jackson leading her towards the door.

She couldn't go through this again, not after last time.

Not after last time was the worst day of her life.

The pain of that day was back. A pain like no other.

And they hadn't even left the OR.

A/N I'm really sorry. I'm now on holiday for five weeks so new chapter soonish. Sophie Emma


	5. Again

**A/N So I know it's been like a month and I really have no excuse for it so to make it up to you guys two chapter this time. Oh, and prewarning and shock horror I've never actually got past the first two episodes of Private Practice so Addison is what I've made her. Ok so enjoy!**

Again.

Addison knew that a request for help from her ex-husband did not come lightly, something big had happened. Returning to her ex-life was never easy, but then again it meant there was always a chance to catch up with Callie. It also meant she'd have to see the person who she'd thought about so often, the reason she had left Seattle for good. Alex Karev. Ever since that night, even the mention of his name would set her heart on fire. She knew it could and would never happenbetween them. She was happy in LA and nothing could change that. And yet again she was found persuading herself.

Seeing as it hadn't been a 911 call, Addison had given herself time to sober up before catching the next flight to Sea-Tac. (She was Derek may be a little pissed off with her, but whoever this patient was, they certainly didn't want Dr Tipsy Montgomery.

Derek had had Meredith admitted to Vagina Squad Land. She wasn't a good patient. Since he'd been paged to a 911 consult in the ER, she'd been left alone in her room. Stressing herself out worrying about Alex. No-one had said anything other then

"He's going to be okay, Teddy's the best" again and again, the same sentence on repeat. She needed more. Meredith knew that worrying like this wasn't going to help her McBump, but she still hadn't seen Cristina and that was just making matters so much worse. The only thing she as both a doctor and patient could do was boss around the nurses, they seemed to know everything and anything around here. But they were also very good at keeping it amongst themselves.

Cristina had been told once she'd finished her surgery. And had directly gone and got an update from the OR next to her (she knew that Meredith would kill her if she didn't, and she too cared, a lot).

As Cristina walked towards Meredith's room she heard the unmistakeable sound that was Meredith's 'Dr. Grey' voice followed by the sight of a few trainee nurses hurrying out of the third door on the left. Cristina's appearance at the door was met with a hopeless Meredith (the type that only came about when she was not in control, when the 'what you don't know can't hurt you' was irrelevant).

"Cristina, will you please tell me what's going before I discharge myself and go and see with my own eyes!"

The pregnancy hormones were definately not helping the situation.

"Cristina. Answer me."

"He's still in surgery, and Teddy and Owen they're doing a great job."

"Stop with all this 'relative crap', why on earth is he still in there?"

"The scar tissue from the shooting added a little complication"

"What's the complication. Tell me. 'Cause I'm getting ready to get off this bed."

Meredith and Cristina sat there going through everything at least three times amongst the long not awkward silences. It was another couple of hours until Cristina was paged to the ICU. She joined the small crowd of people who were already there waiting for the latest update. As Teddy exited his ICU room Cristina's mind flashed back to when the person lying in that bed was George, she was determinded that that wasn't going to happen again, anytime soon. Teddy refused visitors until at least the morning, not even Cristina was allowed in.

All they knew was that the surgery went well, he was stable and he should make a full recovery.

Jackson and April were still the newbies although since they'd moved into Meredith's house it seemed as if they were almost part of the big twisted, slightly disfunctional family. Both of them were still not quite sure what to make of the evenings events, apart from the fact that Seattle Grace Mercy Death had definately earned it's title, again. Like it or not, this place seemed to have curses around every corner. And despite their only recent employment the knew it all too well.

"You know when I told Stark he didn't even care."

April wanted to start a conversation, to talk to Jackson. But he wasn't a talker, he wanted to sit there, in silence and question everything and anything in his mind.

And so the evening tore on. All too recognisably.


	6. Pressure

Pressure

When Addison finally arrived the next morning she found her way to the attendings lounge where had planned on saying hello to Callie over a cup of coffee, but as she was putting her suitcase somewhere out of the way, Derek walked in and she thought this time would be as good as any to get briefed.

"Meredith is going absolutely mad, I re-"

"Wait, why?" Addison interrupted totally confused as to why they were talking about Meredith Grey without even a 'hello'.

"Because she's overly worrying about the baby but she is refusing to co-operate and she just wants to be discharged, you know what she's like."

"Hang on. Meredith is the patient, and she's pregnant?"

"Yes, did that intern not tell you?"

"No, she just said you need a consult over here ASAP. Now can you start at the beginning please?"

"Last night she was driving and the car flipped, she hasn't actually told me anymore of the details."

"So how many weeks is she?"

The conversation went on like this as they walked down the corridors of Addison's ex-life towards Meredith's room.

Callie was still trying to get over the love of her life, and had been enjoying a certain Mark Sloan flavoured sexual sorbet, but that would never make up for losing Arizona to the Carter Maddison grant. She was hurt, like she had been hurt when George had betrayed her, but this time it was worse. Arizona had really hurt her, what she had at the airport had stabbed a knife right into one of her spinal disks. Mark was good for the sexual sorbet but she needed to talk to someone who properly understood and well Addie's arrival seemed to coincide so perfectly. She knew Addison was someone she could talk to about anything, and they would under no circumstance judge each other.

Jackson had been on Sloan's service and was paged to Alex's room to have a true suturing masterclass, McSteamy style. Sloan was very protective over his reputation but he still had to teach, and in his interpretation that meant throwing them in at the deep end. He knew Jackson would hate him for it, (as if being liked by fourth year residents actually mattered) but he decided to teach Jackson one of the best suture techniques for facial lacs and that made Alex the prime patient. Sloan was yet to find himself a protègè, and he was going to need soemone to continue his legacy, Jackson had potential and how about the surname, 'Dr. Mark Sloan personal tutor to an Avery' would look great on his CV amongst the thousands of other things that made him the best plastic surgeon in the country (well at least he thought so). Jackson had been given five hours in the skills lab to perfect the suture which Mark had shown him on only a three stitch long laceration, the rest was in his hands. And he knew too damn well that if he were to muck up Alex's face, he would never be forgiven. His first move was to find Cristina and try to get an advice, he was a bit jealous at the amount of intricate suturing techniques she had already mastered, half of which were probably fellowship level or above. Jackson knew his best bet was Meredith's room, and besides he hadn't been to see Mer yet since they had first arrived the previous evening.

Addison was looking forward to giving Meredith the all clear, knowing that Derek was going to have the family they never could made her somewhat content even though she had no idea why. Surely she should have felt jealous or even slightly disheartened, but no she was joyful and uplifted. Addison decided that maybe she could stick around for the week, from what she had read on the ever exchanging emails Callie needed her, and so did the literally non-exsistent neo-natal unit. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wanted it back, her ex-life, she wanted to make sure that her new happy life couldn't be happier elsewhere. A week couldn't hurt anyone, right. As long as she stayed away from the one person who might cause her to prolong the week to a lifetime. It would do no harm.

Meredith was already ordering nurses to get her discharge papers sorted when Jackson appeared at the door.

"Please tell me you're not here for a bad reason" Meredith knew her levels of luck were very low and that the probability something bad had happened to Alex was relatively high.

"Aha, no nothing like that. He won't be waking up until at least tomorrow morning, but in the meantime guess who Sloan's given the job of stitching up his face?"

"Ah, so your here for comfort because your scared Alex is gonna hurt you if you muck up his face" Cristina had always had a natural talent for mocking people.

"Actually I was here for some advice on Sloan's less scaring stitching technique, I figured that you could possibly help me in the skills lab."

"Seeing as it's my fault he's in this mess, I think I could lend you Cristina for the day." Meredith replied before Cristina had even had a chance to process the idea of spending time in the skills lab, one of the things she hated most.

"So now I'm available for loan as and when it pleases you. And what about your discharge."

"Seeing as your Baby's Godmother you do anything Baby wants and Baby wants you to go and help Uncle Jackson in the skills lab. And Baby knows Daddy can always get Shadow Shepherd to cover all of Daddy's main surgeries. And Baby knows that if you don't go Mummy might get stressed and that isn't good for Baby." Meredith knew that the whole pregnancy card would be playable in any suituation, and that was another plus to the small round bump extruding from her tummy.

Before she left Cristina had a nurse page Derek and wished Meredith luck on her week of resting (as prescribed by Addison) knowing all to well that they'd be seeing each other if not that night than definately the next day.

Meredith already knew she would be spending at least the next week virtually always inside the hospital anyway she'd just have to get around Derek and, well, this wasn't the first time. In fact she had some expertise in the area.

**A/N I forgot to mention that I know I don't write Derek very well so well hopefully you got round that a bit. Also, please please review because I like to know what your thoughts are of where it can go or possibly new characters etc. (And thanks to anyone that's already reviewed it does make me really happy!- cheesey I know). I've got an idea of where it's kind of going but I've not convinced myself so bring forth your ideas and twists in the story, everyone likes a good twist! Ok so long A/N. But love you guys and hopefully see you reasonably soon with the next chapter. Sophie Emma xx**


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